Ben Askren is the Bellator welterweight champion.
Or, he was. With his surprising Nov. 14 release from the promotion, it’s safe to assume that belt is no longer around Askren‘s waist. Despite having never actually lost inside the Bellator cage, Askren is no longer the champion.
That fact is abundantly clear when you consider Bellator‘s announcement that Rick Hawn—who won the Season 9 welterweight tournament—will step in the cage with Douglas Lima to determine the next welterweight champ. Lima booked his place in the title fight by defeating UFC veteran Ben Saunders via head kick in the Season 8 welterweight tournament finals in September.
No matter when happens with Lima vs. Hawn, many will point to Askren as the real Bellator champion. After all, he was released from the promotion having never lost the belt. Despite Dana White’s protests to the contrary, Askren could ultimately end up in the UFC as the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, and all because Bjorn Rebney considers Askren to be a boring fighter.
Which, if you think about it, is Rebney‘s way of telling us to forget all of that nonsense he says about Bellator being a real sport and the UFC being entertainment. Much like the time Rebney said he wasn’t going to sign UFC castoffs (and then started signing every UFC castoff he could get his hands on), Rebney is essentially asking us to ignore everything he’s said in the past.
Askren? He’s undefeated and one of Bellator‘s best fighters. He’s a champion. But because he’s boring, he’s expendable.
The toughest tournament in sports? Not a chance.
Lima told MMAFighting’s Guilherme Cruz that he was taken aback by Rebney‘s decision to release Askren. That makes two of us:
I was kind of (surprised) because he was the undefeated champion and a really tough fighter. But he didn’t sell his fights because of his fighting style and I think that’s really important for the promotion. I believe that’s the reason why Bellator didn’t want to fight that much for him.
Even though he was surprised by Askren‘s release, Lima also said he’s just fine with the idea of facing Hawn for the welterweight title that Askren never lost:
It’s not my fault that he’s out of Bellator and I just want my shot at the title. People can say whatever they want. They can say that (Askren) is the real champion after I beat Hawn, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I just want to beat whoever they put in front of me.
One can’t blame Lima for accepting the hand he’s deal. Iit’s not his fault Rebney released Askren for being a boring fighter. And besides, we all remember what happened the last time Lima stepped in the cage with Askren: He was blanketed by Askren‘s superior wrestling and lost a unanimous decision with 50-45 scorecards from all three cageside judges. There’s very little chance a rematch between Askren and Lima would go any differently.
Askren meets with UFC President Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta today in Las Vegas. White has repeatedly stated that he won’t be signing Askren, but he’s also susceptible to changing his mind after hearing authentic pleas from fighters. White says Askren isn’t ready for the UFC, but that’s a non-sensical excuse when there are fighters on the roster with far less experience than Askren.
Something tells me Askren will be a member of the UFC roster by the end of this week.
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